Stumblefoot

5 hours ago, 1sttimerrt said:

May someone on Silver Moon send me a picture of the complimentary wine list??

Were you presented a complimentary wine list when you were on the Moon?  In the past, such a list was never shown as it was more secret than top secret.

Hope we see further reporting on the Nova from @Tarwood3, @DrFleur, and @Rmps who should have boarded today.

2 hours ago, Brownie54 said:

Is caviar available on the Expedition Ships, specifically the Cloud in Antarctica?

Yes.

2 hours ago, Brownie54 said:

If so, is it only available through your butler and room service, or can you order it in the restaurants or lounges?.

We had it in The Restaurant.  Don’t know if it’s available in a lounge, but imagine it would be if you were to ask once on board.

48 minutes ago, drron29 said:

A good day for a young fellow from Colorado today @Stumblefoot.

Sepp Kuss has won the Spanish Grand Tour for cycling the Vuelta.

Thx Dr. Ron. It’s good to see a mountain kid, who only started riding a few years ago in college, achieve some early success.  He certainly has a bright future in front of him.

1 minute ago, mysty said:

 

Yes,  $60 was the going rate!  And I'm thrilled that the rate on the Shadow did not increase to the prohibitive price on Nova!

Gotcha.  Thx for the explanation.

6 hours ago, twangster said:

I saw the dinner menu…

Thx for the menu!  I had no idea eggplant had enough fat in it to be cooked in it.

2 hours ago, mysty said:

Price was unchanged at $60.00 pp.  

How much were you prepared to pay?  I thought $60 was the going rate. 🤷🏼‍♂️

4 hours ago, dawntrdr said:

Bacon and eggs?  Why, mimosas of course!

Agree!  Or, a really tasty Harvey Wallbanger, of course. 😁

6 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

Magical cloud formation.

Have never seen a cloud formation like it.  Scary!

Pretty terrific start! Look forward to updates.

1 hour ago, turtlemichael said:

If I had not been to Vietnam before I'd do that country, as thoroughly as possible, before venturing to Angkor Wat.

I hear what you are saying, and certainly had never been to Vietnam before, but in our case it was as either two sea days or two nights in Angkor Wat.  No brainer as we didn’t miss any stops in Vietnam.

2 hours ago, jollyjones said:

Well, I can give you my update on Lee - it’s happening right here, right now. 

Hang on, Jolly!

28 minutes ago, Emtbsams said:

…I looked down from the deck and saw a large black bear just below me.

Holy cow!  Didn’t even need your RV to see a bear.  Amazing!

49 minutes ago, JoGay said:

Has anyone been to Angkor Wat?  I am looking at doing the overland excursion from Vietnam, spending 3 nights in Cambodia.  I don't know the cost yet, but am wondering if it's worth going…

It was awesome!  Especially since I like to explore on my own and wasn’t forced to stay with the SS group.  
 

Our mid-voyage land experience was one night in Hanoi (wild) and two nights in Siem Reap (fascinating).  Angkor Wat is huge, spread out over 150+ square miles.  So, it’s nice that you’ll have three nights there to hopefully explore more than just the highlights.

We rejoined the ship in Bangkok where we also spent one night, just like the song said. 😉

Brilliant ZQT! 

1 hour ago, cruiseej said:

Have you found a cruise line which permits drones to be flown?

Les has flown drones on SS for years.  He’s shared some spectacular footage in this forum over the years.  Try and find them with the search function. I think you’ll like them.

@mchell810 and @sea bright, thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and get this topic underway.  

3 hours ago, turtlemichael said:

And then charge for the same product a second time.

Exactly.

Has anyone here participated in one of these paid excursions and if so, would you mind sharing your perspective on the quality of the excursion, what you received, and whether you found the excursion valuable / worth the price paid?  
 

The last time I went on one of these tours it was with SS’s corporate executive chef and the cost was $0.  Hard to imagine a similar culinary excursion now costs $499, let alone $899 next summer, so I’m trying to figure out what’s different that’s driving the cost.

5 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Of course, the end of included excursions will almost certainly not result in a price reduction, but one could always hope!

You and I both know it was a farce from the beginning.  Makes for a good MBA case study though showing how to implement a major step change in pricing for the long-term vs. incremental increases year-after-year.

2 hours ago, Dolcevita Diva said:

Except as a moderator?  😉😁 (sorry, couldn't resist!)

Never be sorry when speaking the truth.  I wanted to write the same thing late yesterday evening, but after a 14-hour day hiking in the Grand Tetons, I found myself needing to clean the camper from spitting my beer out when I read Jazzy’s shushing comment. 😆

8 hours ago, photosg said:

At this point I decided I would only visit Alaska again if Sitka was on the itinerary.

I know what you mean. I loved hiking through the totem poles at Sitka National Historical Park to reach the Raptor Center.

Another great Alaskan destination is Wrangell and the Anan Wildlife Observatory.  Bald eagles as thick as sparrows and bears galore.  That’s the destination required for me if we ever return to Alaska.

13 hours ago, MJN1 said:

…a below average hamburger at the Grill…

That’s putting it nicely IMO. 😉

2 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Take an overcoat

And perhaps galoshes?

2 hours ago, drkitkat123 said:

Do extra slots open up closer to sailing?

No.  But you’ll find dozens and dozens of slots available once you board the ship.